Electrostatic machinery may utilize an electric field to generate force and perform a function. FIG. 1 provides a prior art topology of electrostatic machines. The three primary topologies of electrostatic machines are a charge transfer electrostatic machine 103, an electrostatic induction machine 106, and an electret electrostatic machine 107. The charge transfer electrostatic machine 103 may apply charges to various machine elements via mechanical contacts. Because a mechanical contact transfers a charge of the same polarity to an isolated machine element, the machine element may be repelled from the mechanical contact. A charge transfer electrostatic machine 103 may include a spark-gap electrostatic machine 104 and a corona electrostatic machine 105. The spark-gap electrostatic machine 104 may use a brush-like contact to transfer a charge to a conductive element. Similarly, the corona electrostatic machine 105 may use a needle or needle-like component to create charged ions that may be deposited on an insulating element. In either case, a stationary contact of opposite polarity to the charge depositing contact and positioned some distance away from it may be used to neutralize the charge on the isolated mobile element. An electrostatic induction machine 106 may use an external electric field to induce and redistribute charges in a high-impedance body. Due to the high impedance, there may be a beneficial lag time between the creation of an external electric field and the charge redistribution. By continuously shifting the external electric field at a rate faster than the rate that the high-impedance body may redistribute charges, a beneficial reactionary force between the external electric field and the electric field from the charge of the body may be created and used to perform work.
The electret electrostatic machine 107 may include a dielectric electret electrostatic machine 108 and a capacitor electret electrostatic machine 109. The dielectric electret electrostatic machine 108 may have a dielectric permanently polarized through the placement of a fixed charge. The operation of a dielectric electret electrostatic machine 108 may be analogous to the operation of a permanent magnet-based magnetic induction machine. The capacitor electret electrostatic machine 109 may use external electric fields to induce charges to redistribute on an electrically isolated conductor. This process of charge redistribution is similar to the charge redistribution used for the induction electrostatic machine 106 and the dielectric electret electrostatic machine 108. However, unlike the process used for the electrostatic induction machine 106, the process of charge redistribution used for the capacitor electret electrostatic machine 109 may occur without time lag and in a conductive body with zero or negligible impedance. Also, unlike the dielectric electret electrostatic machine 108, the isolated conductor of the capacitor electret electrostatic machine 109 may preferably maintain a net zero charge while maintaining its electrical isolation. The capacitor electret electrostatic machine 109 may also be called a switched capacitance electrostatic machine or a variable capacitance electrostatic machine and may be analogous to the magnetic-based switched reluctance machine.
Independent of the topology, electrostatic machinery has not seen widespread commercial success. For one, it has been difficult to generate a sufficient electric field in a housing or structure of an electrostatic machine that is similar to an existing electromagnetic machine. For another, an electrostatic machine typically requires very large voltages to achieve comparable economic value as that of an electromagnetic machine. However, an electrostatic machine having very large voltages may be difficult to achieve without voltage breakdown or spurious charge loss during operation. Another reason for a lack of commercial success has been a limited understanding of the electric field and its use in commercial applications. Other modern electrostatic machines may use “film-like” designs to create deformation waves between electrodes for creating movement or various protuberances on the film to maintain gap clearance.
Useful forces from electromechanical sources may be developed using several mechanisms as described by the Lorentz force equation, as defined in Equation 1.{right arrow over (F)}=q[{right arrow over (E)}+v×{right arrow over (B)}]  Equation 1.
While Equation 1 describes multiple options for generating force, such as ion or corona options, producing force utilizing the interaction of a magnetic field ({right arrow over (B)}) having zero or negligible electric field ({right arrow over (E)}) of the Lorentz equation is presently the primary commercial mechanism. Most modern electromechanical machines are magnetic-based machines (e.g. magnetic induction motors) and have changed very little since their commercial introduction in the early 1900's. The design and commercial advancement of traditional electromagnetic machines primarily consists of marginal improvements in material or manufacturing processes.
A magnetic machine operates using current to induce a magnetic field. By modulating current flow through electrically conductive windings, typically made of copper, a magnetic field may interact with itself or another magnetic field, often from other windings or permanent magnets, to produce a useful force interaction. While modern machines are almost exclusively magnetic-based machines, it is possible, as described in the Lorentz equation, to create a force-based machine primarily using the electric field. This type of machine may have a zero or negligible magnetic field and may be classified as an electrostatic machine. Traditionally, this type of machine has not been economically viable for large applications for several reasons, including a limited understanding of electric field breakdown in the gap medium, limited manufacturing capabilities, and poor control capabilities. However, the disclosed device overcomes these limitations and permits an electrostatic machine to be efficiently manufactured and economically commercialized, making it useful for modern industry. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and the foregoing technical field and background.